HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A teen girl’s 17-year-old boyfriend has been arrested and charged with her murder after she was shot and killed while walking her dog in southwest Houston. Family members heard gunshots on Jan. 11 around 9:30 p.m. and grew worried because they knew 15-year-old Diamond Alvarez was outside, walking her dog named “Peanut.” Her mother went outside and found her daughter shot 22 times in the 15400 block of Park Manor near Markwood Lane in an open greenspace, just a couple blocks from their home. According to Houston police, 17-year-old Frank Deleon Jr. was simultaneously in a…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Mail-in ballots are being rejected across Texas, including Harris County, and that number is on the rise. “Compared to previous elections, previous primary elections, it’s on the rise. That’s a big red flag for us,” said Harris County Elections Administrator, Isabel Longoria. Election officials say this is largely due to confusion about what information is required under the new Senate Bill 1. “We just want everyone to get to participate even though this is short notice and a short turnaround time in terms of being educated about the new process,” explained Dr. Annie Johnson-Benifield, the President…
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The mother of 8-year-old Kendrick Lee and her boyfriend have been charged for the boy’s horrific death and for the suffering of his brothers, are now officially indicted. Earlier Tuesday, Jan. 18 prosecutors presented the case to a Harris County grand jury. They returned with four indictments on Brian Coulter and Gloria Williams. “Brian Coulter has been indicted for capital murder,” said Assistant District Attorney Andrea Beall. “It’s the intentional knowing and killing of a child under 10, and Gloria Williams has been indicted on injury to a child, serious bodily injury, and tampering with a…
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has a target on his back and the race for AG has drawn eight challengers. There are five Democrats seeking their party’s nomination. Their winner will face one of four Republicans, three of whom are taking aim at Paxton. “For Republicans and Democrats, this is the one seat that could be in competition next fall if Paxton captures the GOP nomination,” said Mark Jones, a political science fellow at the Baker Institute at Rice University. “Those three candidates have a twofold goal. First and foremost they need to keep Ken Paxton…
HOUSTON, Texas — Todd Smith, a top political consultant to Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, was indicted Tuesday on felony charges of theft and commercial bribery related to taking money in exchange for state hemp licenses that are doled out through Miller’s office, according to Travis County district attorney José Garza. Smith was arrested in May, accused of taking $55,000 as part of the scheme, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Smith and others were accused of soliciting up to $150,000 to get an “exclusive” hemp license from the Texas Department of Agriculture. Smith allegedly said $25,000 would be used for a public…
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A man has been hospitalized following a deputy-involved shooting in northwest Harris County, according to authorities. On Monday, deputies responded to the 18100 block of Tuckerton Road to a call involving a suicidal male armed with a pistol. At the scene, deputies were able to communicate with the man, but at some point, he raised the pistol toward the deputies, Sheriff Ed Gonzales said. In response, the deputies fired their weapons, striking the man. The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition. An investigation is still ongoing.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — He first made headlines for working more than 280 days straight at the start of the pandemic, and now, Dr. Joseph Varon is still counting. “We’ve been doing this for 671 days as of (Tuesday),” said Varon, tallying the number of days he has been using his own COVID-19 treatment methods. “We offer a treatment that we know makes a difference in the outcome of patients with COVID,” said Varon, the chief of critical care at United Memorial Medical Center. It’s a treatment that, at times, put him at odds in the world of medicine, but…
Here’s what you need to know about the COVID-19 in North Texas for today, Jan. 17. Every infection is a chance for the virus to mutate, and omicron has an edge of previous versions because it spreads faster. Get vaccinated and wear a mask while around others, health experts say. If you test positive, follow the isolation guidelines that match your symptoms and vaccination status. The sheer number of people infected with the variant is threatening to damage the health care system. And the more the virus spreads, the greater the risk there is for further mutations. Hospitals and physicians are struggling to…
Four years after a woman’s Facebook post led to a spate of sexual and physical abuse allegations against Dallas megachurch pastor Rickie Rush, police have referred a criminal case to prosecutors, The Dallas Morning News has learned. The case, delivered to the Dallas County district attorney’s office in late October, involves multiple accusers, police said. Officials declined to identify them or specify the allegations against the 61-year-old evangelist and founder of Inspiring Body of Christ Church. For accusers and their advocates, the move marks a key step toward holding Rush accountable amid doubts about whether the probe had been stalled and police were taking…
